Langdyke Countryside Trust Annual Report 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 Our Mission Across Langdyke Country
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Langdyke Countryside Trust Annual Report 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 Our mission across Langdyke country The Langdyke Countryside Trust We want to live in an area where G Torpel Manor Field, near Helpston – works to promote the conservation, nature is at the heart of our lives. the site of a Norman manor house Contents protection and enhancement of the Where swifts and swallows are a and a county wildlife site biodiversity, landscape, natural and central feature of our summer Langdyke Countryside Trust Annual Report G Bainton Heath, Bainton – home to cultural heritage of the rural areas evenings, where otters continue to nightingales and rare insects and north and west of Peterborough, enthral people as they play in the flowers for the benefit of local people, Maxey Cut, where bees and other G Etton Maxey Pits – a 90-acre Our aims ...............................................................................3 wildlife and visitors. insects thrive, not decline, and where there are far more, not less, ponds, wetland with breeding lapwing, Founded in 1999, Langdyke now Chairman’s introduction.........................................................4 meadows, wild flowers, hedgerows redshank and winter ducks manages six nature reserves – a total and trees. of 180 acres of land – has more than G Etton High Meadow – a small Calendar of events ................................................................7 300 household members and its own And where local people can walk or paddock and barn with a community orchard and allotments Around the reserves ..............................................................8 flock of sheep. cycle out in safety and tranquility across this thriving countryside, Over the years we have planted G Vergette Wood-meadow – wet The natural world.................................................................16 enjoying the sights and sounds and hedges and trees, restored wild flower woodland and pasture for flowers, even the silence of the natural world; meadows, built tern rafts, created dragonflies and ducks History and archaeology group............................................20 enjoying dark skies and cherishing the ponds and an orchard. heritage – both natural and man- Details of access Barnack Hills and Holes.......................................................22 We organise weekly work-parties for made- around them. arrangements for our members and monthly nature walks, reserves can be found on Our nature reserves are Amphibians survey ..............................................................24 regular talks and family days, helping our website at people to understand, value and get G Swaddywell Pit, Helpston – the http://langdyke.org.uk/ Money matters ....................................................................26 involved with the natural and cultural subject of two poems by John The Trust also works closely with Images of the Year...............................................................28 heritage. Clare, one of the country’s first Natural England and the Wildlife nature reserves and home to We are a purely voluntary organisation Trusts and helps manage the national hundreds of orchids and over 1200 Acknowledgements.............................................................30 committed to making a difference to nature reserves at Barnack Hills and species of insect our local countryside. Holes and Castor Hanglands. Medieval 1999 2003 2005 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2017 2018 The medieval Langdyke First management Swaddywell Pit Torpel Manor Torpel Manor Heritage Lottery Bainton Pits Swaddywell and Visitor cabin Langdyke South Langdyke Ermine court of Countryside Trust agreement nature reserve Field nature Field entered into Fund grant for nature reserve Etton Maxey opened at Torpel Group (Castor, Street (Barnack, Nassaburgh founded by four reached for officially opened reserve Higher Level Torpel Manor enter into Higher Manor Field Ailsworth, Sutton, Pilsgate, Ufford, meets under the residents of Swaddywell Pit established Stewardship Field research Level Marholm) Southorpe) Group shade of the Helpston and scheme and visitor cabin Stewardship established established Langley Bush Etton schemes Etton Maxey Pits Vergette High nature reserve Etton High Meadow nature established Meadow nature reserve acquired reserve 2 3 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT Setting seeds for the Trust to flourish Chairman’s Introduction: Richard Astle This is the first time I have written been diligently led by our Honorary if we don’t get our legal, financial and establishing our management the introduction to the Langdyke Treasurer, Brian Lawrence, we have and regularly responsibilities right. plan later this year. annual report in the capacity of restructured our committees and So, let me take the opportunity to Our existing reserves continue to Acting Chair of the Trust, taking reshuffled the various roles. thank all of you that work on the develop and support ever up the task from Rick Keymer This has led to my taking up the role Langdyke committees for your help increasing numbers and varieties of who has been the author of this of Chair (albeit as Acting Chair until and perseverance – we cannot wildlife as David Cowcill records in piece ever since the first report the new organisation is formally in achieve our aims without this effort. his article in this report. appeared in 2003. place) from Rick, who now lives in Certainly, this year has been one of A major development was the Richard was the founder of the Shropshire, with Chris Gardiner considerable progress. We have appearance of thousands of Trust and shaped the vision of becoming the Chair of our new expanded our network of nature pyramidal orchids at Etton Maxey Langdyke’s work from the start and Conservation Committee and Chris reserves with the establishment of Pits and there were excellent as we look forward to our 20th Topper, David Cowcill, Mike Horne the new Vergette Wood-meadow, numbers of butterflies across the anniversary in 2019, we will reflect and Margaret Palmer continuing as just north of Etton. reserves, particularly the flourishing on those first two decades and on leaders of the four geographic colony of grizzled skippers at the debt we own to Richard for his groups. Brian continues as Vergette Wood-meadow is right Swaddywell, where Man orchid had vision and how far we have come in Treasurer and Martin Parsons as next to our existing land at Etton Summer heat, dry pond by David Rowell another year of expansion. delivering it and what we need to do Secretary. Peter Leverington is our High Meadow and not far from our next to make a real difference to the new membership secretary. largest reserve at Etton Maxey Pits, The establishment of the new natural and built heritage around us. so we are creating a large block of Langdyke geographic group, All the committee members are land that can be actively managed Langdyke Ermine Street, centred on Langdyke is in the process of passionate about nature and the to establish meadows, hedgerows Barnack and Ufford, was another updating its constitution and wonders of the natural world around and wetlands, all capable of major landmark, meaning that we switching its legal status from that us, so sometimes this focus on providing safe homes for insects, have community groups working of a simple Trust to a Charitable governance seems as if it is a birds, mammals and flowers, that across the entire area of John Clare Interest Organisation, a more deviation from what we really enjoy. can then in time spread out across Countryside. modern and flexible structure. But we cannot manage our the wider countryside. The new team have already made a As part of that work, which has reserves and engage our members We will be opening the new reserve significant contribution in terms of expertise and effort and we plan to develop this group further in the coming year. Surveying for flowers by Mike Horne The year had its challenges of getting them back into the As I mentioned, 2019 is the Trust’s course! We continue to wrestle with paddocks at Etton Maxey! 20th birthday and we will be in some key issues at each of our touch soon to invite you to a series reserves. These are all tasks familiar to of events to mark the occasion. anyone working in nature At Swaddywell it is a battle to keep There will be much to celebrate. conservation. And they are also the grassland open and free from never ending – you can manage Above all perhaps we will celebrate bramble. At Etton Maxey we had to these challenges, but never solve 20 years of positive action by local tackle the spread of the invasive them. Which is part of the fun of it people who have come together in crassula and wonder why lapwing all, I guess, although I struggled to their hundreds working hard to and redshank failed to nest think of that chasing sheep around make a difference to their successfully this year. in 30 degrees of heat! countryside and not only preserve, At High Meadow our challenge was but actually improve the natural Once again, we would like to thank to make sure there was a world and heritage around them. all our members for their continued continuous supply of water for the support and hope that we can see Richard Astle sheep during the heatwave. On as many of you as possible in the Chair August 3 the challenge was months to come. Langdyke Countryside Trust Vergette Wood Meadow, Etton catching three escaped sheep and 4 5 EVENTS EVENTS Events Calendar 2018 – 19 Date Event Details 7 October Autumn fruits and fungi – searching